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Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit
If you had problems with transvaginal mesh or Y mesh, contact us now for a free & private case review.
What’s Going on With Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuits?
After developers of synthetic transvaginal mesh and, more recently, Y-shaped mesh – both invented to treat pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) – have paid upwards of $8 billion in settlements to women suffering tragic health complications, additional lawsuits are still coming.
Transvaginal mesh lawsuits and Y mesh lawsuits are still leveling accusations at Boston Scientific, Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon), American Medical Systems (AMS), C.R. Bard, Coloplast, Cook Medical, Inc., Neomatic, and others for making and marketing defective devices + failing to warn you of the grisly risks, even though they knew about the prevalence of negative consequences but continued developing and promoting “improved’ variations anyway.
Contact us if you’ve experienced problems with a synthetic mesh implant, such as transvaginal mesh or Y mesh.
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We’re changing the narrative about lawsuits.™
What Is Transvaginal Mesh?
TVM is made of a synthetic material called polypropylene – a perforated plastic strip embedded with a small incision in the vaginal wall as a “sling” or “hammock” to shore up pelvic organs that often sag after childbirth or as we age (vaginal laxity). The conditions TVM was designed to treat are pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI).
What Is Y Mesh?
Even when creators of TVM knew that the plastic material could harden and cause dangerous complications, they still made and promoted Y mesh, so named for its Y shape but implanted laparoscopically in the abdomen. Y mesh, though made of the same polypropylene, was hyped as an improved mesh device for treating POP and SUI. And as with TVM, it took years to collect suitable data on the performance (or risk) of Y mesh.
What Went Wrong with Pelvic Mesh?
Scientists conceptualized that organic tissue would grow into and around the perforated mesh, ideally bolstering critical pelvic organs to prevent prolapse, incontinence, and/or protrusion through the vagina.1
The problem with plastic placed into the pelvic region, however, is that it is prone to lose elasticity if a woman’s own tissues thin and pull back (erosion), exposing the plastic and causing it to become hard.
Polypropylene is initially soft, so it seemed ideal for pelvic sling systems to manage POP + SUI. Thus, the implants were designed as permanent reinforcements; however, when the plastic hardens, it causes such painful side effects that it often has to be removed, along with surrounding tissue into which it may have “meshed.”
The skin in the pelvic region is meant to be elastic so that you can have intercourse, eliminate wastes, have bowel movements, and bear children.
Why Is the Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit Such a Big Deal?
According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), 300,000 women in the US underwent surgical procedures using the mesh for prolapse (POP) each year from 2008 to 2019, and approximately 260,000 underwent surgical procedures to repair stress urinary incontinence (SUI).2
Because so many women reported complications from TVM in 2009 (when the first TVM lawsuit was filed) and thereafter, the FDA in 2019 banned from the market ALL transvaginal mesh implants for treating POP – but not SUI. In the US alone, more than 100,000 lawsuits are still pending – 48,000 against Boston Scientific alone – despite 95% of the lawsuits having been settled.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the possible complications include malfunctions, injury, and death when the plastic hardens and cuts into surrounding tissues + organs, potentially dislodging them or pushing them out through the vagina (extrusion or protrusion).3
Is Vaginal Mesh Still Recommended?
Sadly, yep. Doctors are still using vaginal mesh to treat stress urinary incontinence (SUI), despite the FDA’s 2019 ban, reinforced in 2022, on all TVM products used to treat POP. In 2020, the year after the recall, more than 300,000 women in 48 states still received the implants.4
“Trying to remove transvaginal mesh is like trying to pick chewing gum out of matted hair.”
– Kath Sansom, founder of Sling the Mesh, UK
So there’s another problem: transvaginal mesh placed for prolapse is relatively easy to implant, but very difficult to remove because of the way it is anchored to bones and ligaments in the leg and pelvis. Removing all of it is nearly impossible. There are safer, non-mesh alternatives – human or animal tissue – we’ll get to that in a moment
What Are The Problems Associated with Transvaginal Mesh?
Here are some common symptoms of mesh problems:
- Irregular vaginal bleeding or discharge
- Pelvic pain or swelling
- Trouble walking
- Discomfort during sex
- Bladder and bowel problems like infection and incontinence
- Prickling feeling or sharp stabbing pain in the vagina, which may become worse with exercise
- Abdominal, buttock, or leg pain
- Pain in the pelvis or groin
Also:
- Vaginal mesh erosion
- Y mesh erosion
- Erosion of mesh into other organs
- Vaginal mesh and Y mesh contraction
- Urinary problems
- Infections
- Pelvic organ prolapse that returns
The NIH states that research on this subject has been too scarce until now because the complaints were once considered exaggerated as a result of lack of information and public awareness. An entire section of a recent NIH investigation, therefore, centers on the comments of women who have suffered life-disrupting harm from defective transvaginal mesh and, now, Y mesh implants.
“So you do feel like you’ve been robbed of your, your life you know, it’s not the same, it’s not the same life I had before, like, completely different.” – Liz
Are There Any Safe Alternatives to Transvaginal Mesh Implants?
Yes. Here are some non-mesh surgical treatments recommended by various sources including Yale and the NIH for pelvic organ prolapse.
Pessary – a specially fitted plastic “doughnut” that’s positioned similarly to a diaphragm and uses the strength of the pelvic muscles to support the vagina.
Native Tissue Repair – the patient’s own tissue is used to repair the prolapse.
Biological Graft Repair– a graft from an organic source, such as human or animal tissue, to support the vaginal prolapse.
Pubovaginal Sling – the patient’s own tissue.
Pelvic Floor Biofeedback and Therapy – strengthening or modifying the pelvic floor by retraining muscles, practicing Kegels, and employing manual therapy.
About the Transvaginal Mesh Lawsuit.
Plaintiffs claim that manufacturers falsely told the public and medical care community that the products were safe and effective. The lawsuits also accuse manufacturers of negligent design, testing, and marketing of the devices, and have thus sought financial restitution for their physical and emotional suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages, plus pain and suffering.
If you or a loved one has suffered from attempted removal or revision of a transvaginal mesh implant, there is still time to hold manufacturers responsible.
To be eligible for participation in these lawsuits, you must have undergone at least one transvaginal or abdominal mesh removal or revision procedure.
Why Should You Connect With Us?
We are a team of women across the country educating women about their legal rights. Many of us know first-hand about vaginal laxity, POP, SUI, and protrusion/extrusion, though thankfully many of us knew enough to be wary of procedures involving synthetic mesh implants.
Founded by a mother and daughter in Dallas in 2016, we believe that giving women access to the civil justice system can help empower them to build a safer, better future. We also believe that going after massive corporations where it hurts most (in the assets column) is a faster path to systemic change on a seismic scale.
Contact us now to take the first steps. We’re real people on the other end of the line, ready to listen, 24/7/365.
We’re changing the narrative about lawsuits.™
Sources
- Carrie Macmillan, “Transvaginal Mesh: What Women Should Know,” Yale Medicine, June 19, 2019.
- Matthew Goldstein, “As Pelvic Mesh Settlements Near $8 Billion, Women Question Lawyers’ Fees,” New York Times, February 1, 2019.
- Gena C. Dunivan, Jennifer T. Anger, Alexandria Alas, Cecilia Wieslander, Claudia Sevilla, Stephanie Chu, Sally Maliski, Beatris Barrera, Karen Eiber, Rebecca G. Rogers, “Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Disease of Silence and Shame,” NIH/National Library of Health/PubMed, November 1, 2015
- Bridget Dibb, Fee Woodgate, and Lauren Taylor, “When things go wrong: experiences of vaginal mesh complications, NIH/National Library of Medicine/PubMed, January 6, 2023
WE WEAR THIS BADGE PROUDLY. Because, in a time when legal services are still dominated by men, only a Women Owned Business can bring the woman’s perspective to issues that disproportionately affect women.
We are the ones, far more than men, who are injured by sexual assault, financial scams, the gender pay gap, toxic chemicals, and the misguided practices of powerful pharmaceutical companies.
